How to Introduce a Puppy to People

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By Vanillatte
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One of the most important things you can do with your new puppy is to socialize, socialize, socialize. However, when it comes to introducing your puppy to people, places and things, there are elements you need to consider both when he is young and well into his adolescent phase.

This first eHow article will walk you through the steps necessary to introduce your puppy to people.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

puppy
people
patience

Step 1

Expose your puppy to as many different people as possible. Take him to the park, the hardware store, the playground, the street fair and the nursing home. Consider all the varied attire that people wear and how it might affect your dog. A person carrying an umbrella, a clown wearing a big, red wig or a person in a wheelchair might seem pretty harmless to us, but it can unnerve a puppy or young dog that has never encountered them before.
Step 2

: Consider Your Puppy. When introducing your puppy to adults and your puppy seems nervous about the encounter, have them come down to his level rather than leaning over the puppy to pet him.

If the puppy still seems skittish, hand them a bit of puppy's favorite treat so they can offer it to him. If your puppy is really skittish, have them avert their eyes and perhaps even turn away from him a bit while still offering the treat with their hand. When he takes the treat, praise him with a calm 'good boy'.
Step 3

Children. If a child wants to hold the puppy or take him for a walk, make sure the child is old enough and experienced enough to handle a puppy. You don't want the puppy having a bad experience with a child that handles him too roughly or who takes him on a long walk that he's not developmentally ready for. In addition, you don't want a very young child to unintentionally mishandle the puppy and get nipped or scratched, thereby ruining the puppy experience for the child.
Step 4

Teach your puppy the proper way to greet people. Give the person you are introducing a treat and ask them to tell the puppy 'sit' and reward him for this behavior. There are many good eHow articles available on how to teach your puppy to sit! Eventually, he will automatically sit whenever he meets a person.
Step 5

Never force an introduction. If the puppy is very reluctant to meet someone, don't force him by pushing or pulling him to the person. It's far better to wait until the puppy is more comfortable. If he shows the slightest interest at all and makes even the tiniest move toward the person, reward with his favorite treat and lots of praise.
Step 6

Herbie the 'Love' Pug

Be diligent. Meeting new and interesting people should be an ongoing experience for your puppy. Make sure you continue to take him out on a regular basis. Just like people, puppies go through developmental phases. A positive reaction to something at eight weeks of age doesn't mean he won't have a negative reaction to it at eight months.